Radiohead announce UK dates

Happy-go-lucky rockers Radiohead have announced 3 major arena shows for the autumn, hinting at the possibility of new material being released in 2012. They play Manchester Evening News Arena on October 6 and London O2 Arena on October 8 and 9.

Radiohead are presently touring North America in support of their last album, King Of Limbs. The early shows on the tour feature 2 new songs, Identikit and Cut A Hole.

Identikit continues the experimental electronica of King Of Limbs, with loose rhythms and a vocal that is marginally less bleak than Thom Yorke’s usual morose warble. Cut A Hole is a slow and moody jam that some generous listeners have described as "funky", although that adjective is hardly one you would reach for to describe a Radiohead tune.

Radiohead’s music tends to seep out gradually online rather than have the usual commercial release schedule. Speaking to Rolling Stone last year, Yorke suggested that the band would be working on new songs in 2012. "We can get things together quite rapidly at the moment," he said. "It would be fun to have them ready when we go to play. I don't know how we would release them. It would be nice to make it all part of the flow and just enjoy it – not think about it too much."

Radiohead will have a busy summer playing festivals around the world. Their confirmed dates include the Coachella Festival in the USA, the Fuji Rock Festival and Bilbao BBK Live festival.

Tickets for the UK arena shows go on sale on March 7 at 9am for fan club members and on general sale on March 9 at 9am.